


'Til Someone Brings The World Back Into Tune

by codenametargeter



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: A wild Queen of Ferelden appears!, Damnit Anders, Dragon Age protagonists have a lot of trauma and need hugs, F/M, Hawke doesn't always think, Varric writes too much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 17:20:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20085895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/codenametargeter/pseuds/codenametargeter
Summary: In which Hawke does something really really stupid. Oh and by the way: Champion of Kirkwall, have you met the Hero of Ferelden yet?





	'Til Someone Brings The World Back Into Tune

It wasn’t like she planned it. After all, only an insane person would plan on punching the Queen of Ferelden square in the face. Maybe Hawke had had some crazy ideas in the past but there was usually some logic involved especially when it came to deciding on a deliberate course of action. 

Usually. 

The point was, she hadn’t planned it. 

Skyhold was a whirlwind of activity when she arrived which was fine by her because she preferred to avoid causing a scene anywhere in the Inquisition’s stronghold aside from in the Herald’s Rest. Cassandra had a tendency to glare at her otherwise. She got a few looks as she headed straight towards the stables but otherwise, none of the usual whispers that tended to follow her. 

By the time she’d dismounted, unsaddled her horse, and passed the mare off to a groom, any illusions she might have had about remaining persona non grata vanished as she turned and almost walked straight into a fresh faced runner. 

“Champion,” the runner said, inclining his head respectfully. 

She sighed. That title was apparently never going to shake loose. “You can just call me Hawke.” 

“Yes ser.” 

“What is it?” 

“Lady Josephine said I’m to show you to your assigned quarters and also to tell you that there’s a gathering in great hall you’re welcome to join if you’d like. And Commander Rutherford said—” He broke off abruptly and flushed before finishing lamely, “I can escort you there too if you’d like.” 

“I think I’ll be able to find my way to hall,” Hawke said, blue eyes narrowing. “What did Cullen say?” 

“Nothing, ser. It’s not important.” 

“Why don’t you let me decide that?” 

Sometimes, her reputation was handy. Usually when someone was trying to avoid doing something she asked and then suddenly remembered she had killed the Arishok in single combat. The runner turned even redder and muttered, “That it might be best if you didn’t attend. I shouldn’t have said anything, ser, I’m sorry.” 

Hawke smirked. Well now she was definitely going. “Right. Well why don’t you show me where these quarters are and we can pretend like you never said anything?”

His relief was almost palpable. “Yes, ser!”

While she was painfully aware that she didn’t actually have any real status, at least Josephine always treated her as if Champion of Kirkwall was like a noble title and assigned her more than decent quarters. As she quickly washed the dust from the road off her face and changed tunics to make herself more presentable, she tried not to look at the comfortable bed with too much longing for fear that she’d lie on it and never wish to move again. The beds at Skyhold beat any bed in a roadside inn by miles and miles. It was the best part of visiting here aside from getting to catch up with old friends. 

Speaking of which… 

She gave herself one last check in the looking glass before making her way down to the great hall., Making her black hair look like anything but slightly less tangled than it had been after the wind had had its way with it on the road was always a lost cause. Skyhold was a damned maze some days but at least she could usually find her way there. A big open room was hard to miss. The buzz of conversation was audible long before she actually stepped out of the stairwell and could see some of the people present. The Inquisitor was there along with almost all of her Inner Circle and advisors, some looking notably more at ease than others. While they were somewhat spread out in multiple clumps of conversation, there was a definite center to the entire affair but she couldn’t quite make out who had caught their interest. Whoever it was had Varric’s attention though so she was automatically intrigued. 

“Hey Hawke. Didn’t know you were here.” 

She turned to look up at the giant qunari. It figured he’d be the first one to spot her even with just one eye. “I wasn’t until about twenty minutes ago.”

“And you already got dragged down here for this?” The Iron Bull’s smile was easy, friendly. 

“What can I say? I do so love a good party.” 

That got a laugh out of him. “This? This ain’t a party. If you want one of those, come down to the Rest later. Me and the boys are almost always there.” 

The last time Hawke had visited, she’d ended up in a drinking contest with Chargers and they’d gone through so much ale that apparently Cabot had had to close for a few days to restock and she had woken up the next day with a wicked hangover and absolutely no memory of who had won. Every single one of the Chargers claimed that they had and she was still pretty sure they were all lying. It had been a damned good time. Folding her arms across her chest, she grinned. “Only if that handsome lieutenant of yours is going to be there.”

“Krem?” Bull actually sounded a little surprised. “Probably, yeah.”

“The Rest it is then.” Abruptly, she changed the subject gesturing towards the large group. “So who’s here to warrant all this?”

The Iron Bull responded casually between sips of ale. “The King and Queen of Ferelden.” 

She blinked. “Really.”

“Really.” 

The crowd shifted just enough so she could catch a glimpse of King Alistair’s smiling face with Cullen standing beside him. “I wonder why.” 

Bull shrugged. “I have guesses but…” 

He didn’t need to finish the sentence and even if he had, Hawke already had a plan. “It’s more fun this way. See you in the Rest then?” 

She didn’t take offense at the qunari’s silent nod of farewell before he moved off towards Dorian who stood on the other side of the group. Despite her plans, she let her eyes linger on the pair for a moment as Bull placed his hand in the small of his back in greeting and the mage smiled up at him with something in his grey eyes that made Hawke feel like she was intruding on a private moment even though she was meters away and they were in public. No, she knew exactly what the emotion on Dorian’s face was: it was love and seeing it written there so plainly, even for a moment, felt like a twisting dagger in her chest. It wasn’t jealousy per say but instead more like a sharp reminder of what she hadn’t had since that fateful night in Kirkwall when the Chantry been… 

_ Damnit, Anders _ , she said silently, far from the first time. Even when he was thousands of leagues away, he still found a way into her thoughts. So much for sending him far away for the duration of this Corypheus nonsense giving her a chance to maybe breath and see things through clearer eyes. This definitely wasn’t the time or place to be thinking about her broken heart though and so Hawke shook her head to try and clear it, straightened up, and let the metaphorical mantle of the Champion of Kirkwall settle on her shoulders, complete with a vaguely amused grin. There was safety in the familiarity.

There was also a familiarity in the stiff set of Cullen’s shoulders as she sauntered up to stand beside him and then waited all of three seconds before he realized she was there. “Champion.” As always, Cullen seemed on edge whenever he had to deal with her. 

Hawke smiled sweetly. “Knight-Captain.” 

“I’m no longer-” He sighed. “Why must you do that?” 

“Because you always respond the same way and it’s funny. And I could use a laugh after the last oh decade or so.” 

Varric laughed. “She’s got you there, Curly.” 

Maybe she should be nicer to the man. They were never going to be friends but he had turned on Meredith at the end and from what Varric’s letters said, he was a changed man. On the other hand, needling him continued to be, quite frankly, hilarious. Even without looking, she could tell they’d attracted some stares including two royals ones so she relented. Slightly. Not really. “You should introduce me to your friends, Commander Rutherford.” 

The former Templar glanced across the room but Lady Josephine was deep in conversation with Vivienne and they both knew no one else was going to be a stickler for protocol. He was stuck and so Cullen gritted his teeth and said, “Your Majesties, may I present Adara Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall. Hawke, this is King Alistair and Queen Melidere of Ferelden.” 

Hawke sketched a proper bow and then let herself actually look at the monarchs. Alistair didn’t look very different from when she’d met him in Kirkwall. Older maybe but weren’t they all? It was the queen who got most of her attention. She was tall for a woman with dark blonde hair and dressed in a simple version of Grey Warden armor. Her stance was that of someone who was used to the weight of a sword and a shield on her back and felt off balance without them there instead of what someone might expect of a queen but then again, she was the Hero of Ferelden. 

“Hawke!” Alistair greeted her with a broad smile. “Good to see you again. It’s been what? Three years?” 

“Something like that,” Hawke agreed. She didn’t want to do the math. “You didn’t bring your sort of uncle this time?”

“Teagan’s got his hands full with Redcliffe,” Alistair said. “Besides, this visit is more Warden business than King business. Every now and then, someone remembers I went through the Joining too.” 

More to him than the rest, the Queen said, “I told you I could handle it by myself.” 

“Yeah but I missed you, my dear. You’re much prettier to look at than Teagan.” 

Hawke felt another pang in her heart at the easy, loving glances exchanged by the couple. This was ridiculous. She was being ridiculous. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been around couples since everything had happened. Anders (albeit influenced by Justice) had made his choice and she had made hers. Whenever this was done, she was definitely going to the Herald's Rest and drinking so she’d stop thinking so much. And avoid Varric’s inevitable, perceptive questions. 

“...we haven’t met before,” Melidere was saying once Hawke wrenched her attention back. “Seems like we should have crossed paths before this.” 

“Smart people avoided Kirkwall,” Hawke said, prompting Varric to shake his head at her. “And then, well… Hard to stay anywhere long when you’re partially responsible for the mage rebellions.”

The skin around Alistair’s eyes tightened at the mention of the mages before he relaxed again but there was definitely a story there. 

“Is Anders here too?” Melidere asked, glancing around the room even though she clearly knew the answer. 

“No. Between Corypheus and the Calling, we thought it wise if he stayed away. It… didn’t go well the last time we dealt him.” 

“Smart but too bad,” she said. “I would’ve liked to say hello and ask after Ser Pounce-A-Lot. It’s been a long time since he served in the Grey Wardens under me.”

Three things happened at once, all in Hawke’s head. First, she remembered that Anders really had been a Grey Warden for a bit even if he’d run away from the order. Second, it clicked that Anders somehow knew the Queen of Ferelden. And third, she realized that-- “Wait, you’re  _ that _ Warden Commander?” 

Melidere blinked. “I--yes? If you mean the one who conscripted him into the Wardens.”

“The Warden Commander who held Vigil’s Keep?”

“For a time, yes.”

She couldn’t seem to stop the questions that came out of her mouth. “So you’re how Justice ended up meeting Anders then? Agreed to let him stay in that Warden’s body?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that but yes, I suppose you could say that. None of us ever expected what happ--”

For weeks afterwards, Hawke would rack her mind for some distinct memory of when she’d decided to throw a blow but she was never able to find one. What she did remember was punching the Hero of Ferelden square in the face, knocking the taller woman off balance.

Everyone moved at once. Leliana put a restraining hand on Alistair’s arm and Varric was holding Cassandra back with a surprising amount of success. The Iron Bull had appeared out of nowhere and planted half of his bulk between them, extending one hand out straight into Cullen’s chest, stopping him from moving forward. For her part, Melidere recovered quickly, rubbing her cheek with one hand and reaching for she was pretty sure was a hidden knife with her other hand.

This may have been one of the stupidest things she’d ever done so, like an idiot, she started talking again and made it worse. 

“Who looks at a spirit of justice and decides to let it just hang around in a dead Warden’s body?” Hawke demanded, words tumbling from her lips. “And then doesn’t seem to notice when that spirit convinces a mage that he has to fight back against the Chantry for mages everywhere to the point where he agrees to be its host? What could possibly go wrong there? I’m sure nothing  _ explosive _ could possibly happen!” 

Everyone was staring at them like Hawke had grown a second head which was probably fair. Varric said warningly, “Hawke, this isn’t-”

He didn’t get any further before the Queen dropped her hand down from her cheek and said, “I had to make a choice when Justice came with us back out of the Fade. Just like Anders made his choices.”

The words were like a hit to the gut that brought her back to sanity. Her shoulders slumped forward in defeat as she realized how irritational she was being. “Bloody stupid Wardens,” Hawke said in a weak approximation of her usual sarcasm. “You’re right. You aren’t responsible for anyone’s actions but your own. I’m sorry. If Lady Josephine arranges for me to be strangled in my sleep later for punching a queen, I won’t be surprised.” 

“That’s not my style,” Melidere said with just enough of a smile to make her husband visibly relax. No one else did though except for Leliana. They all just kept watching the two women warily. 

“I uhh…” Hawke rubbed the back of her neck for a moment before dropping her hand and shrugging, the gesture broad. “Do you want to punch me back?” 

The Hero of Ferelden tilted her head ever so slightly to the right before straightening and nodding. “That seems fair.” 

The next thing she knew, Hawke was reeling. Apparently the queen knew how to throw a punch as well as she could wield a sword. Varric caught her before she could do something embarrassing like hit the ground. Despite herself, Hawke was laughing as she straightened back up, rubbing at her cheek. “Andraste’s knickers, Your Majesty! Did you just punch the Archdemon into submission? You’ve got a solid left hook.” 

“It’s why I married her,” Alistair said airily, waving around his half empty wine glass. 

Melidere glanced towards him. “No, dear. You married me because you didn’t want to have to rule alone. And for other reasons I won’t voice in public.” 

“That too.” 

The queen turned back towards her and extended a hand. “Friends then, Serah Hawke?”

“If the Queen of Ferelden insists.” 

“The Queen of Ferelden very much does.”

Despite herself, Hawke grinned and shook her hand. “Alright. Friends then.”

With that, the tension seemed to flee from the room and silence along with it. Apparently she wasn’t causing a diplomatic incident today. And then good old, dependable Varric loudly said, “Have I ever told you about the time the Inquisitor tripped into a bear in the Hinterlands?” 

“Varric!” The Inquisitor protested, face flushing. 

Alistair’s face lit up. “Was it a very big bear?”

“No, actually it was a…” 

The Hero of Ferelden nodded towards one of the walls and Hawke gratefully followed her out of the crowd. “He certainly has a gift for words.”

“Too much of one, if you ask me,” Hawke grumbled even though she was glad he’d provided a distraction. “That blasted book of his…”

“How much of it is true?” 

“I refuse to read it so I don’t know.” 

“Pity because I’ve been dying to know whether or not Anders’s electricity trick is as good as it sounds.”

Hawke looked upwards and groaned. “This is all Isabela’s fault!” 

Melidere grinned. “So it is true then!” 

“Do you think the Inquisitor will notice if I accidentally strangle Varric?”

“I think the Seeker has demanded that she be first in line if the opportunity arises.”

Hawke looked upwards and sighed dramatically. “The price I pay for not being a good Chantry type.”

The queen smiled wickedly. “It’s far more fun to have one in your bed than to be one.”

There was something about the entire conversation that felt twice as delightful simply because they were talking about royalty. Hawke snuck a look towards Alistair and then turned back at his wife. “Don’t make me ask.”

“In my experience,” Melidere said, feigning an inspection of her fingernails, “Chantry boys might not have magic or be very experienced but they are eager to learn and take instructions quite well.” 

Laughter bubbled out of her lips before she could stop it. About the only thing Hawke  _ could _ manage was to be glad she wasn’t throwing punches again. It took a few moments before she could get control of herself enough again to form words. “If you had told me this morning that I’d punch a queen and then gossip with her about our sex lives, I would’ve said you were mad.” 

“I stopped trying to expect normal in my life after I went to Orzammar for the first time,” said Melidere before sobering somewhat. “Listen, Hawke, about Anders…”

She shook her head emphatically. “No, you were right. It wasn’t your fault. Justice changed him but Anders still knew what he was doing.”

“I know but what I wanted to say was that I wish you could have known the man he was before Justice. I rather think you would have liked him.”

“Oh.” Her vision blurred and Hawke raised a hand to brush at her eyes and stared at the tears there in mild surprise. Oh. Well. That’s how it was going to be today then. This really was the worst. She blinked twice, willing them to go away. Thankfully, Melidere was polite enough to not say anything as she cleared her throat and pulled herself back together again. “I wouldn’t mind hearing some of those stories some time. Anders and I may not be… anymore but…”

Melidere seemed to understand without her spelling it out. “Of course. One condition though.”

She frowned. “What?”

“You spar with me in the training ring while we’re here. I haven’t had a proper bout in ages.”

A broad smile crept on to her face. “Do they try too hard to beat you for bragging rights or are they too scared to hit you?”

“Both!” the Hero of Ferelden exclaimed exasperatedly. “Alistair will fight me properly but we’ve been together for so long that it’s more like dancing than proper sparring. Please, Hawke, I’ll be bored to tears if you don’t.”

“Who knew that if you punch a queen once, she’ll ask you to hit her with a sword next? Do you think I should try it in Orlais?” 

“Hawke!”

“I doubt it would work in Tevinter though…” she pretended to muse before breaking. “Of course, I will. I can hardly tell the Queen of Ferelden no especially since I already punched her.”

“Good,” Melidere said with a decisive nod before gesturing back towards the rest of the group who were mostly still gathered around Varric as he told the story about the bear. “Come on then. Let’s have a drink. As friends. We can hit each other silly with swords tomorrow.”

It would probably be a good idea, Hawke silently reflected, if she slightly altered her plans for the evening so she wouldn’t be laid low with a hangover in the morning. It wouldn’t do for the Champion of Kirkwall to fall flat on her face to the Hero of Ferelden even if they were friends now. After all, Varric had turned her into a legend and legends had to meet standards. 

And maybe one day… maybe one day, she’d even come to peace with what happened in Kirkwall. In the mean time, she’d settle for accidentally making new friends while making bad decisions.

This was really not how she had planned today to go. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorta just handwaving the timeframe on this. It takes place after Here Lies The Abyss but before What Pride Has Wrought. Just... pretend that Hawke went to Weisshaupt and then came back and she's going to go back there again after this. 
> 
> And yes. Apparently my Hawke would totally get with Krem if the opportunity came up. This was a surprise to me too when I wrote it but she stands by it.


End file.
